G4 Cube & Cinema Display

Apple's new optical mouse was reviewed in my MacWorld
Expo 2000 article, so I won't repeat myself here. I will, however,
add something to my previous comments. Having spent more time with the
mouse (and being forced to use it with the Cube) I've decided that the
tracking issues discussed
earlier are bad enough that I personally wouldn't use it as my
primary mouse, especially on a large screen like the 22-inch Cinema
Display. My habit of "flicking" the mouse around regularly exceeds the
optical tracking's acceleration threshold, causing erratic behavior. I
still don't think it'll be an issue for most users (go watch your
parents use the mouse sometime; mine, at least, appear to be moving in
slow-motion), but it'll undoubtedly turn off gamers and users used to
fast-flicking.

The new USB extended keyboard was also briefly reviewed earlier.
I have a few additional comments after spending more time with it.
First, the lack of space between the top row of function keys and the
row of number keys frustrates me. I'm used to feeling for the "top
edge" of the main key area in order to hit the number keys and, more
importantly, the backspace key in the upper-right corner. The
upper-right key on the main key area of the new keyboard is F12. I have
the same problem with the page-up key; I tend to end up hitting F15
instead. The second issue is the that tops of the key caps are wider
and flatter than what I'm used to, causing me to mis-hit or double-hit
more often. These are purely personal issues of habit, however
(although "feeling for the top row" really is helpful since delete and
page-up are used more often than the Fn keys.) The key feel is similar
to the old USB keyboard (e.g. light and very quiet), but with a somewhat
sturdier feel.

The mouse ably fulfills its role in helping further the premium
quality of the system: it's very solid thanks to its thick, one-piece
top shell/button, it looks absolutely fabulous, and there are no loose
or flexing parts. The keyboard is similarly high class when in use as a
keyboard, but lift it up and give it a manual "torsion test" and it
feels a little too flexible. Compared to my daily-use keyboard (the ADB
Apple Extended Keyboard II, a product that was code-named "Nimitz" with
good reason), it's downright noodly. Then again, the Extended II
retailed for $200 back in the early to mid 1990's. So once more a
component falls a bit short of the high quality target set by its
appearance due to, presumably, cost concerns.

A final note: as mentioned in my initial review of the new mouse and
keyboard, they're both leaps and bounds better than the puck and
mini-keyboard they're replacing, and they're at least as good as the
typical original-equipment PC keyboards and mice I've used (and
certainly look a lot better), number of buttons and scroll wheels
aside.

The speakers are created for Apple by Harmon Kardon and are clear
spheres about the size of large oranges. They're connected via short
(~26-inch) cords to a tiny (4 x 2 x 0.5 inch) amplifier box. The amp
box is another rounded-corner affair similar in shape to the external
power supply, but with a clear case covering a black core. It has a
headphone outlet in one end and a thick, short (~16 inch) USB cable
coming out of the other end. Digital audio comes out of the Cube via USB
and gets converted to an analog signal and amplified by this little
box.

As you might guess from looking at the size of the speaker cones,
there is very little low-end power. The system would benefit greatly
from an external subwoofer. (And trust me, there definitely isn't room
inside the Cube for one.) That said, the mid-range and high notes are
reproduced admirably. I'm no audiophile, but to my untrained ears the
"imaging" of these little orbs was superb. They can get loud enough to
become uncomfortable to a person sitting right in front of the computer,
but don't expect to fill a room with sound.

On the quality meter, the speakers pass with flying colors. The
construction is solid, the sounds is better than you'd expect from a
tiny pair of "computer speakers", and the look is striking as usual.

Cube

Finally we come to the Cube itself. The entire unit is taller than it
is wide, and therefore not technically a cube. But I guess "The Power
Mac G4 Rectangular Solid" just doesn't have the same ring to it. The
Cube may get off on a technicality: the white unit suspended inside the
clear case is actually an 8-inch cube. And it is indeed suspended,
literally, from the top of the clear outer case. The oval vent on the
top has a wedge-shaped profile. Although there are two small screws
flanking the vent, the majority of the of the weight of the white cube
is borne by the wedge-shaped vent assembly.

Speaking of weight, the Cube weighs more than you'd think given its
size: almost 20lbs. Nearly half of that weight is the clear outer case
and white metal liner. The clear case is very thick at the top,
tapering slightly as it goes down. It looks sophisticated and
expensive, especially the thick areas that are carved out to provide
holes for the drive slot and cooling vents. The power button is another
high-class touch. It's a simple glyph next to the top vent that's
printed the surface of the case. There are no moving parts and there's
nothing special about the paint or the plastic beneath it. Near the top
of the case, below the surface of both the plastic and the white
inner-liner is a touch-sensitive button that is activated by changes in
capacitance. The button also has a small light in it, and any operation
of the "button" will cause the light to glow beneath the surface.
Touching the unflinchingly solid brick of plastic and seeing that light
instantly come to life deep below is a satisfying experience.

The thickness and solidity of the case has a downside, however. The
first thing I noticed is that it transmits any vibration inside the Cube
directly to the desk surface. This is most noticeable when the DVD
drive is in operation. I can actually feel the vibration in the key
caps of the keyboard—a keyboard that's in a keyboard tray that's
attached to the desk. Touching the Cube itself reveals almost no
vibration; it's all transmitted cleanly through the thick rim of the
case to the surface below. Car reviews speak of NVH factors (Noise,
Vibration, and Harshness), and I think that same measure is applicable
to the Cube. A high level of NVH is definitely a low-quality
experience.

The second downside of the thick, clear case is more cosmetic than
functional, but it's received a lot of attention from customers and in
the press: cracks. Or "mold lines" or "knit lines" or "scratches",
depending on who you ask. My Cube has them, and in the same places as
most other Cubes: around the screw holes on the top, and near the drive
slot on the front and top. I'm calling them "cracks", and here's
why.

First, they're not scratches in that they weren't caused by another
item rubbing up against the surface and they do not physically resemble
scratch-like valleys or grooves plowed out by another object. Second,
they're not "mold lines" because the actual mold lines on the Cube are
clearly visible and are very different. Mold lines exist as vertical
seams on all four outer corners of the case. Everyone knows what mold
lines look like: they're the "ridges" you see in most plastic
structures. Third, I don't consider them "knit lines" in that they do
not appear to be the result of plastic flow anomalies.

They're cracks, although they do not go all the way through the
surface of the case. Think of a muddy surface drying and cracking in
the sun. Those cracks may not go all the way through the mud; they're
"surface cracks." More precisely, on the Cube they're "hairline surface
cracks" in that they're very fine and not deep at all. The cracks on my
Cube are not visible from more than about a foot away, depending on the
lighting in the room. They're even difficult to feel with the tip of
your finger. The best way to feel them is with your finger nail. I
wasn't able to get any clear photographs of the cracks in my Cube, but
they are nearly identical in size and position to the ones shown in the
picture from ZDNet below:

Cracks in the Cube's case

ZDNet has obviously gone to great lengths to make the cracks
visible, lighting the case from beneath in a dark room and removing all
the insides, including the white inner liner and the screws. Above you
can see a close-up of the crack near the drive slot, and you can also
make out the two cracks that bisect the screw holes on either side of
the central vent.

Cracks are most certainly a low quality experience! Despite the fact
that they're not a structural problem at all (and don't appear to be in
danger of becoming one), they are the worst kind of cosmetic problem:
something that is not "important" enough to really fix, but which will
grate on those that care deeply about the appearance of their
hardware...the very same people that are most attracted to a system like
the Cube!

My theory from the start has been that these are manufacturing
defects caused by the difficulty of molding such a large single piece of
clear plastic. That seems to be confirmed by what I've read from
self-proclaimed plastics experts on the web. Apple is sticking to the
"mold lines" nomenclature for obvious reasons: a "crack" is a defect,
while a "mold line" or "knit line" is simply a "side-effect of
manufacturing." But the bottom line is that it's a PR problem for
Apple. Supposedly the problem is "fixed" now, which I translate to mean
that the number of Cube cases coming out of the factory with these
hairline surface cracks is decreasing as the manufacturing process is
refined. I can't imagine them ever being eliminated entirely without a
change in materials or a huge increase in manufacturing cost (e.g.
throwing out all the bad ones, melting, and re-molding them.)